The Glorious Epiphany with the Devout Christians Love, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Containing an Introduction to the enſuing Diſcourſe.
WHEN we obſerve how the deſire of life is ſo deeply fixed in all mankind, both in old and young, in Kings and Beggars, in Wiſe men and Fools, that (as Lactantius *L. III. In ſtit. C. 12.well noteth) they will endure any miſeries to preſerve and prolong it; we are led thereby to this Conſideration, That the higheſt and moſt perfect Good to which the ſoul of man aſpires, is a life without end, and without thoſe laborious toils and troubles which attend us here in this preſent world. We are naturally form'd to wiſh, that we may be ſo happy; and find no thought ſo ſad and diſmal as this, of being quite extinct, and never enjoying any more pleaſure after we are laid in our graves.
Upon which account it muſt be acknowledged that we are infinitely indebted to the Grace of God, who hath made that ſo ſure, which is ſo deſirable; and that our Bleſſed Saviour juſtly challenges our moſt ardent love and cheerful obedience, whoſe Religion is nothing elſe but an acknowledgment of the Truth, which is after godlineſs, in hope of eternal life. They are the words of St. Paul (Tit. i. 1, 2.) which import that the Goſpel is a Doctrine which teaches us to be pious, and promiſes to reward our piety with an happy immortality. This is the glorious hope of Chriſtians; whoſe Maſter Chriſt Jeſus (who is our Hope, 1. Tim. i. 1.) hath brought life and immortality to light; and made that which was but obſcurely delivered in times paſt, as clear and bright as the Sun at noonday.
There are ſo many Witneſſes of this, that their Teſtimonies have filled a large Volume. The FATHER, the WORD, the HOLY-GHOST, have all declared that we have eternal life, and this life is in our Saviour, the Son of God. So ſay the WATER alſo, the BLOOD and the SPIRIT: they all conſent in this Truth, That Jeſus is alive from the dead, and lives for evermore; and becauſe he lives, we ſhall live alſo.
Which welcome news filled the hearts of all thoſe who believed it, with exceſſive joy, even when they were in heavineſs through manifold temptations, 1 Pet. i. 6, 8. And why it ſhould not have the ſame effect on us, there is no other reaſon can be given, but becauſe we do not believe as they did. For they of whom S. Peter ſpeaks, had never ſeen our Lord when he was on earth, no more than we; nor had they any ſuch ſight of him, as S. Stephen and S. Paul had, after he went to Heaven; and yet believing, they rejoyced with joy unſpeakable and full of glory.
All our buſineſs therefore is, to ſettle this belief ſtedfaſtly in our minds. Which will have the greater power upon our hearts, when we conſider the abundant grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt towards us, and how excellent the Hope is which he hath given us. For he hath not only aſſured us, that He hath all power in heaven and in earth; and that he will beſtow the ineſtimable gift of immortality upon us: But that he himſelf will once more come from heaven to crown us with it. We know (as I have ſhown in two former Treatiſes) that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an underſtanding to know him that is true: and This is the true God and Eternal Life, which he hath revealed to us. But beſides this firſt coming to teach us the will of God, to dye for our ſins, and to open to us the Kingdom of Heaven, after He had ſhown us the way to it; He hath bid us believe there is a Second: When He will come to judg us by thoſe Laws which he hath left his Church, and to put the obſervers of them into the poſſeſſion of that Heavenly Kingdom which He hath promiſed.
And there are none of the Witneſſes who teſtifie that He is the King of Glory, but aſſure us of this alſo, that He will appear in that glory to take us up unto Himſelf. More eſpecially the HOLY-GHOST, who (as Epiphanius *foreign, &c. Haereſ. LXXIV. n. 10.admirably ſpeaks) is the only Guide of Truth, the Expounder of holy Laws, the Inſpirer of the Spiritual (or Chriſtian) Law, the Leader of the Prophets, the Teacher of the Apoſtles, the Luminary of the Evangelical Doctrines; He made his Apoſtles and Evangeliſts clearly underſtand this to be our Saviour's meaning, and authorized them to proclaim this comfortable news to all Believers. Inſomuch that S. Paul triumphs in this, when he was ready to be offered for the ſervice of Chriſt, and the time of his departure was at hand, that there was laid up for him a Crown of Righteouſneſs, which the Lord (ſaith he) the righteous Judg ſhall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them alſo that love his appearing, 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7, 8.
In the laſt part of which words there ſeems to me to be contained ſo much of the Chriſtian Hope, that they deſerve to be explained with the ſame care and labour that I have beſtowed upon the RECORD which the Father, the Son, the Holy-Ghoſt, and all the other Witneſſes have left us, to teſtifie that Jeſus is the Son of God, and that in Him we have Eternal Life. For as it tranſports all true Believers with joy, to read of a Crown of Life, a Crown of Glory, a Crown of Righteouſneſs, which is laid up ſafe with our Lord in his Heavenly Sanctuary, as He himſelf and his Apoſtles in this and other places, confidently aſſure us: So it very much raiſes and encreaſes that joyful Hope, to know from their own mouths, that He who hath receiv'd and keeps it ſafely, will condeſcend ſo much as to appear again one day, to confer the very ſame felicity upon us, which He hath obtained himſelf; who is crowned with glory and honour.
Next to the belief of the truth of this report, there is nothing we are ſo much concerned to know, as who the perſons are that ſhall wear this Crown, and have their heads eternally honoured with it. Piety it ſelf, indeed, is very apt to perſwade thoſe in whom it lives, that the unfeigned practice of it, ſhall meet at laſt with ſome conſiderable recompence: But that it ſhall receive ſuch a Royal, ſuch a magnificent Reward, as deſerves the name of a Crown of Eternal Glory, is a thing which that great Modeſty and Humility (which is eſſential to true Piety, and its higheſt Ornament and Crown) forbids us to be too forward to conclude. A Perſon perhaps of ſuch eminence and luſtre as S. Paul (one of the Stars of the firſt Magnitude in our Saviour's right hand) may be advanced hereafter to ſhine in ſuch Majeſty: But that we dull heavy ſouls ſhould be thought worthy of the like favour, none but a man ſo divinely illuminated, as He was by the power of the HOLY-GHOST, is ſufficient to ſecure us.
And, bleſſed be God, we do not want ſuch a Divine Teſtimony. For after this great Apoſtle had related what a courſe he had run, what agonies he had ſuſtained, with what difficulties he had wreſtled in the ſervice of his bleſſed Maſter Jeſus; and that he nothing doubted but He would remember him at his coming again, and confer the honour on him which was laid up in Heaven for ſuch victorious ſouls: He encourages all other Chriſtians to comfort themſelves with the ſame expectations, and not imagine they ſhould loſe the Crown (though they came far behind him in the holy race) if they did but LOVE THE APPEARING *foreign Epiph. Haereſ. LIV. n 5.of Chriſt Jeſus.
That's the particular Mark and Character which he gives of the perſons to whom this honour ſhall be done. For the underſtanding of which, and that we may the better comprehend both the happineſs it ſelf, and that pious affection we ought to have for it (which is the principal drift of this Diſcourſe), we are to make an enquiry into theſe three things.
Firſt, What may be conceived to be the meaning of this APPEARING of our Lord.
Secondly, What certainty there is of it. And,
Thirdly, What the LOVE is which they ſhould bear to it, who hope to enjoy the bleſſings of it.